Israel declares cease-fire in Gaza

Under heavy international pressure, the Israeli Cabinet said it would end its 11-day military operation in the Gaza Strip on Thursday. More than 200 people have died since May 10, when Hamas militants in Gaza began firing rockets toward Israel amid protests, riots, and a security crackdown in disputed areas of East Jerusalem. Israel responded with rockets and airstrikes. At least 230 Palestinians were killed, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. Twelve Israelis, including a 5-year-old boy, a 16-year-old girl, and a soldier, died.

What role did foreign governments play in the cease-fire? U.S. President Joe Biden called on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to stop the airstrikes, while Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi worked to broker a diplomatic solution. Numerous members of the UN Security Council supported a statement demanding an end to the fighting. In Washington, radical Democrats in Congress tried to stop an upcoming arms sale to Israel as a rebuke of its military action in Gaza.

Dig deeper: Read Mindy Belz’s column about the severity of this round of Israeli-Palestinian fighting.